Guest Vixens

I’m The Strawberry Bombshell, and I am a Practical Pinup. It’s my mission to show you that your pinup pieces are endlessly versatile for styling – and totally worth the money you’re paying for them. Like Jessica, I like to do pinup on a budget so I can get the most bang for my buck when I’m buying.

Let’s rewind to about a year and a half ago: I was working two jobs and had a pretty expensive shopping habit – I was making about two Pin Up Girl Clothing orders a month (internationally – and ladies you know how much we need to pay to get that free FedEx!). My financial circumstances shifted a bit when I was forced to quit the second job, and I had to scale back the orders. When my roommate moved out my excess cash flow halted and I had to cut them off completely.

What to do for this hapless pinup addict, then?

I began rifling through my closet to see just what I had, and how I could put it to work. Necessity is the mother of invention, after all! It was time to get creative with styling.

I was a little skeptical about my ability to create several outfits at first, but the process was surprisingly easy (albeit a bit messy!) when I got going. I pulled one item out of my closet at a time and went through all the different pieces that might go with it. I was shocked to find that one item could be styled at least 5-10 different ways – without me having to buy anything new!

For example: the Dixiefried Perfect Pencil Skirt in Lime Green. I was hesitant to buy it at first because I didn’t know what to pair it with. (So much BRIGHT!) I ordered a couple of vamp tops at the same time and decided the two looks would be enough to justify the purchase.

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After a bit of practice and observation, I found I could pair it with much more! My experimentation is mostly with colour combinations.

We’ll stick with a green theme today (because what looks better on strawberry blonde bombshells than green?) and demonstrate again with the Lauren top in olive. The Lauren is quite literally the puuuuurrfect staple piece. You can pair it with high-waisted shorts and jeans for casual looks, swing skirts and pencil skirts to dress it up. It’s elegance embodied. And the colour is to die for – it instantly makes any colour it compliments look richer in contrast. Observe!

Click on image to zoom.

Sadly, I don’t have any of Laura’s high-waisted trousers or shorts to demonstrate, but luckily you can head on over to Pinup Girl Clothing’s website to see the lovely Doris Mayday model it in several shots with those very items. PUG CEO and Supreme Overlord Laura Byrnes has also been photographed many times elegantly styling the Lauren tops with her high-waisted shorts and trousers.

If you’re looking for some inspiration, I’d suggest starting a pinterest board to squirrel away ideas. Run a search on ‘lime green skirt’ and see how many hits come up – ladies from all over have found unique and beautiful ways to style a tricky colour. You’ll be able to come up with many solutions for colour combinations, print mixing, and accessorizing in no time.

Here’s the best part! Using inspiration boards and styling practically actually justifies the purchases you’ve been itching to make. I often use my style board to help me decide if it’s worth buying an item that’s been taunting me from my checkout basket. I make it a little challenge to myself: How many different ways I can style it? If it’s in the 5-10 range, then I pull the trigger. And you know what? I always win.

PUG’s separates are luxurious, ethical AND a practical purchase. How can you go wrong? They’re my go-to staples, and I’ve built a good deal of my daily look around them. I hope this post has inspired you to do the same – go raid your closets, ladies! You’ll be amazed how much you find once you get going.

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Thank you so very much to The Strawberry Bombshell for sharing with us such helpful advice to maximizing your wardrobe to create versatile looks with a few staple pieces.

OK! This is my first setting lotion review so bare with me because it certainly won’t be perfect.

I’ve tried so many different hair products including sprays, gels, pomades, leave in conditioners, heat styling and moisture lock products. I have only recently got into using setting lotions… in all honesty I just never really thought I needed them as my hair is so wavy naturally and holds curls really well. If I do a hot roller set I don’t even need to use hair spray… that’s how crazy and well my hair curls!

So naturally, when you start practising vintage hairstyling, you come across what’s called a ‘setting lotion’. This is a product which is usually added to the hair while its still wet and before you begin your styling. I have tried a few different brands and I have found what I believe is the best product for my hair in particular, so I thought I would share it with you.

First of all, I will start the obvious… this product is blue – and comes out clear so don’t let the colour freak you out.

Secondly the product is concentrated… you don’t want to use the product straight on your hair from the bottle (although I’ve read that some do!). If you’re trying this out for the first time it may be best to just follow the instructions on the back of the product which states the following:

On normal hair 2-3 parts water to 1 part Lottabody. On tinted hair and bleached hair 4-5 parts water to 1 part Lottabody.

I went and bought a cheap spray bottle from the 2 dollar shop because it makes it super quick and easy to spray onto your hair. The spray bottle I use is 300 ml, so I measured out 100 ml of Lottabody and 200 ml of water. Mix the product up and then you are set to go. By diluting the product you will not only get more bang for your buck, but you will also keep your hair manageable and soft without that straw-like, crispy feel (I’ve tried using it straight from the bottle and it made my hair crisp and hard which wasn’t at all sassy).

So now I’ll go through the process of what I do when I’m setting my hair, everyone does it differently and I find it really interesting to talk and read about the way others do their sets because I feel like I always learn something new!

I have naturally dark chocolate brown hair, which I’ve been dying blue-black for as long as I can remember. I like the intense inkiness and shine that blue-black gives. I also have extremely wavy hair which curls like a dream. I feel lucky now that my hair curls so well, but growing up and through my early teenage years I hated my hair because I always wanted to straighten it, even wanting to get it chemically straightened at one point. Now I embrace my naturally curly hair and pretty much keep it curled every day (it’s also much healthier without the constant straightening!)

When my hair has been freshly washed and conditioned (conditioner is super important and it helps the hair to ‘curl’) I towel dry it and run a tiny amount of leave-in smoother through. The product I’ve been using recently is this one PPS cuticle seal – it smells amazing, doesn’t leave a greasy feel or look and actually helps my hair to stay soft at the ends. I then start spraying my hair with Lottabody Setting Lotion – I brought this product from The Vanity Casehere in New Zealand but I know its sold all over the place online so just keep an eye on Ebay, or I’ve noticed a lot of online vintage stores which stock hair styling products usually sell Lottabody.

Once this is distributed (about 5-6 sprays on my mid-length hair), I give it a good comb through and then begin my pin curls, or rollers.

I then get under my hood dryer for approximately 30 minutes, grab a book or put a good ol’ fashioned film on (one of my favourites like Casablanca, Psycho or Creature from the Black Lagoon), turn up the heat and relax while your lovely curls develop!

I’ve got a range of photos from start to finish below, and I am not at all good with vintage style hair techniques or brushing out, it really is quite the art form so apologies in advance, I still have my training wheels on :)

This photo was taken 5 hours afterwards – curls are still holding!

Now in the photos, I have brushed my curls out vigorously so it’s less poodle and you can actually see the hair. A lot of people seem to think that this product makes hair flaky? I’m yet to have this issue but wanted a close up for you all to see.

I haven’t used any hairspray whatsoever, just so you can see how well the setting lotion holds curls in without the use of loads of spray. I think it does a pretty good job, but this was a test and I usually spray the heck out of my hair!

Pros:

* Plenty of product, as it is diluted and a little goes a long way.

* No flakiness.

* No crusty, hard feeling once the product has set and the curls are easy to brush out.

* Reasonably priced at $25.00 for 236 ml

* Still keeps some shape without the use of hairspray

* Leaves hair looking extremely shiny

* Perfect for wet-setting

* If you need more hold – use less water and more Lottabody, its completely up to you and your hair type so the power to customise is quite handy

Cons:

* Its blue – but don’t be frightened!

* The smell isn’t amazing directly from the bottle, however as you are supposed to dilute it the smell is non-existent once in your hair

* You need to buy an extra spray bottle to use it, unless you have one around home

Overall, I love this product and will continue to buy it! As always, everyone is different but if you are looking for a setting lotion and you are yet to try this one give it a whirl and see if it works for you.

I will also do another review for the same product and my favorite hair spray when it gets to Summer time – I want to see how this product works in humidity with our sticky, tropical summers in New Zealand.

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A big thank you to Miss Charlotte Cake for sharing her experience with the Lottabody Setting Lotion. Please check out her blog at http://www.misscharlottecake.com.

One of the questions I get asked the most from girls who are just starting out in the pinup lifestyle, is where they can find affordable pinup style fashions. Fabulous reproduction clothes and vintage alike can become very pricey it’s true! However you can look just as fabulous on a tiny budget as well.

Girls, get your thrift on!! I for one, would much rather go shopping at my local thrift store, than a pricey department store at the mall any day of the week. I have found amazing vintage finds for just a few bucks! Not every thrifting trip is successful, but if you keep checking, you are bound to find something amazing.

Here are just a few tips to help you on your search for pinup-style -finds on your next thrift store outing!

1-#1 Know what you are looking for! Have in mind the silhouettes, and styles you would like to find. A good rule of thumb for pinup is to look for dresses with full skirts, circle skirts, halter dresses, wiggle skirts and dresses, and high waist pants, and skirts. Keep a look out for fun prints too, a pinup can never go wrong with polka dots, leopard print, gingham or cherries!

2-#2 If you are hunting vintage, look for key indicators of vintage like union labels, metal zippers, sturdy cotton fabric, and if you are really lucky bakelite buttons.

3-#3 Know when to get the deals, many thrift stores have sales on certain days of the week, my local Salvation Army, for instance has 50% of women’s clothing on Thursdays. You can always find me there on a Thursday!!!

4-#4 If you are looking for vintage pieces, go to thrift stores in communities with older homes, If I want to find stuff from the 50s, I have the best luck finding them in stores near homes built in the 50s.

5-#5 Don’t get discouraged if you don’t find anything! The beauty of thrift stores is that they are constantly getting in “new” stock! If you don’t find anything one day, that doesn’t mean you won’t find something the next day!

Here are a few examples of wonderful vintage pinup styles I have found from thrift, each outfit for less than $20!

Make sure to check out Devyn Beth’s Facebook Page for more helpful pinup tips and fabulous photos!

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A big thank you to Devyn Beth for guest posting on Pin Up Persuasion. Your fabulous thrifting tips are going to be so incredibly helpful to every pinup on a budget.

I am a pinup from El Paso, Texas and I am so excited to finally get to share some of my secrets and tidbits on some various vintage-inspired hairstyles and makeup techniques that I do! I have been doing pinup for years now, and people always stop me in passing and ask how I come up with the pinup-style look I have grown accustomed to. I am glad that I can share that with you now, thanks to Pin Up Persuasion! Now, let’s get started!

The look I am writing about today is the classic “barrel roll” look, as seen on various famous icons such as Rosie the Riveter and Imelda May! I do this look almost everyday of the week because it is fast and efficient for an on-the-go girl like myself! I work at all kinds of hours during the week and this is perfect for a girl with a time-limit getting ready for a long, strenuous day!

2.) Suavecita Pomade (it isn’t too sticky like the regular Suavecito pomade, and you don’t need a lot of it)

3.) A fishtale-pick comb

4.) A thin teasing brush

5.) Pin curl clips

6.) Bobby pins

7.) A bandana or hair scarf

This hairstyle can be done on washed or un-washed hair (as long as the un-washed hair isn’t too oily). Start off by parting a section of your hair on the front, top part of your head. Pull the rest back in a bun or a ponytail that has not been pulled out all the way so that the ponytail doesn’t hang.

Then, section off that piece of hair into two sections, horizontally. Clip back the top section to have it stay out of the way and start curling your hair, piece by piece. With each piece you curl, hold the curl together with your finger and place a bobby pin or pin curl clips in it to hold it in place. You can also let it just curl and hang, but you get better results if you pin curl them to your head to cool down.

After you have each section pinned to your head, let the pin curls sit for a while. You can do your makeup while you wait, which is what I do on a daily basis as a routine of mine!

Then, after you are finished with the makeup process, take down the pincurls, one by one. Gather them all up in a single section again and then brushed the curls together. You should have a great, curled section of hair to work with! Tease the base of your section with the fishtale-pick comb all the way to the end of the tip to that section of hair.

Then, smooth out the outside of that section with the thin teasing brush. Be careful not to brush through the section of hair you just teased. If you feel like you didn’t get enough “umph” from teasing the section of hair with the comb, use this brush as an alternative to get the volume you need.

Flyaways are normal, so that is why I use the Suavecita Pomade! Use a very light amount of the pomade and smooth out the outside part of the section. Then hold the section extended out and away from your head, and spray the inside of the section with the hairspray. Let the hairspray dry all the way before going on to the next step.

Now, roll in the tip of the section all the way to the base of your head. You will have to hold down the section with your fingers while you use bobby pins to secure it in that roll. I like to use two bobby pins so that it is fastened tightly.

Then pull down one side of the roll (the side that cooperates more) and hold it down with your fingers. Spray this part of the roll so that it sticks to the side of your head. If this still does not work, put a bobby pin in it to hold it against your head. It can be left there, because your hair scarf or bandana will cover it.

Now spray the roll all over! You can be generous when doing so, especially if the hairspray is lightweight. A lightweight hairspray is preferable so the roll doesn’t fall apart from heaviness. You can even use two fingers to smooth out the inside of the roll. Now throw on a bandana or a hair scarf, and you are done!

I hope you enjoyed my first hair tutorial blog! I am really honored that Pin Up Persuasion chose me to be a featured blogger and I hope I get to do so again in the future! Stay tuned!

Thank you so much Miss MozzyDee for sharing her amazing hair tips with all of us. Since hair is definitely not my strength, I truly appreciate when we are fortunate to have incredible guest posts like these.